The father of a missing Woodstock man last seen in Fredericton 14 days ago says it's out of character for his 30-year-old son not to have contacted his family for an extended period of time.

David Wry of Woodstock hopes that public assistance may aid the Woodstock Police Force in finding new leads into the disappearance of Gregory David Wry.

Wry came to Fredericton from Woodstock on Sunday, Feb. 21, and stayed the night at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel on Prospect Street, but hasn't been heard from since.

Woodstock Police Force investigator Cpl. John Foster said there's no known reason for Gregory Wry to have disappeared.

Woodstock police are asking anyone with information about his disappearance to contact them at 325-4601.

"There's not a lot that we know," David Wry said Friday.

Gregory Wry came home the morning of Feb. 21 after working a janitorial shift at the Atlantic Superstore in Woodstock. He's single and lives with his dad.

David Wry said his son told him he had an exchange of words with someone at work and was a bit upset, but as the morning progressed, he brightened up.

He left his residence at about 1 p.m., according to a Woodstock Police Force statement.

"He never said anything. He just went out the door just like you would any other day and cracked a joke," said David Wry.

Although his son didn't say he was planning on driving to Fredericton, David Wry said he thinks he might have been coming here to get his passport.

"He had the application form and went to Wal-Mart to get the pictures taken and he got a guarantor and filled out one of them and he thought it was going to happen overnight," David Wry said.

"My guess is that when he left the house on Sunday, maybe as an afterthought, he might of thought 'Why don't I go to Fredericton today and be there for the morning?' I'm speculating on that.

"There's very little to report as fact."

But Wry said it's out of character for his son not to be in touch with his family.

"If he had control of the situation, I think he would have called home," David Wry said.

He said he doesn't think his son had any acquaintances in Fredericton and police have contacted friends and relatives in hopes of turning up any leads.

As of Friday, Woodstock Police Force were still without fresh leads in the case.

Kelly Atherton of Woodstock, a first cousin to Gregory Wry, has been plastering his photograph on Facebook and reaching out to friends and acquaintances in an effort to fan out the search.

"I just can believe that he's disappeared," Atherton said.

She said her cousin had been friendly, happy and upbeat recently and there was no reason for him to just disappear.

"He's not your typical 30-year-old guy," Atherton said. "He's quite gullible. He's quit naive. He's not street wise. I think he's quite shy. He's very trusting. He's got a big heart and I think it would be awfully easy for someone to pull the wool over his eyes.

"I'm awfully worried about him."

Atherton said when her cousin left his Woodstock home, he didn't pack a bag or take items with him that would suggest he was planning to be away for long.

"If you're planning on going somewhere, you'd throw together an overnight of bag of some kind," Atherton said.

"If he just wanted to spread his wings ... I just can't see that he would do it in that way," Atherton said. "It's baffling."

Greg Wry is 5'8" tall and weighs 140 pounds. He has brown hair, worn brush-cut style, green eyes and has scruffy facial hair. He almost always wears a ball cap and was last seen in a jacket with leather sleeves and brown cloth patches, jeans and sneakers.

He drives a 2005, four-door Chevrolet Malibu, sandy brown in colour. It's has a New Brunswick licence - GMS-732.

The Woodstock Police Force has asked other police agencies and border security agents to be on the alert for Wry and his vehicle.

Woodstock Atlantic Superstore manager Barb Antworth, contacted Friday, declined comment on the case other than to say that Wry wasn't employed directly by the store.

The owner of the janitorial business Gregory Fry works for is on holiday and couldn't be reached for comment.

I understand that Gregory's car was found on March 6th. Gregory may have made friends at the hotel, even though he was just there one night. Any video surveillance that would be available to see if he was with another person or anything showing him outside the area of the hotel. He may have went for a drink and met someone. Maybe he picked up a hitchhiker. It is sad for his dad to not know what has happened to Gregory. Hoping there are answers soon to Greg's whereabouts.

Last night on the Global news a report indicated, the RCMP are conducting a ground search of the area Mr. Wry's car was found. Mr. Wry's brother-in-law was on the scene and indicated that things may not have a good ending in the search for Gregory. A pair of shoes were found in the woods in the area that Mr. Wry's car was found. The police indicated that there is no way of knowing if these are Mr. Wry's footwear or maybe even not connected. They were continuing their search in that area.

They have posted a Facebook page for him which provides some new information: Gregory David Wry left his residence Feb. 21 at 1 p.m. and hasn't been seen by his family since. "He went for a drive and didn't come home," said Cpl. John Foster of the Woodstock Police Force...Police have determined that Wry stayed overnight at the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel in Fredericton on the day he went missing but that was the last time his whereabouts have been confirmed.http://www.facebook.com/group.php?v=info&gid=345467463806

Let's hope that maybe he has some clues on his computer, a Tweet, a text, on an online video game, etc. that may provide some clue as to where he went and with whom so that the police can follow up.

The RCMP posted an official update on March 8, 2010 which provides a way to contact the authorities of anyone has seen Mr. Wry or his vehicle:

Carleton York District 7 RCMP have located the missing vehicle belonging to Greg Wry who was reported missing in February.

On Saturday March 6, 2010 an extensive search in the Allandale area near Pokiok was organized by the RCMP with the assistance of the Carleton Ground Search Team. The RCMP police dog and RCMP helicopter were also utilized during the search which spanned a two day period. A 2005 beige Chevrolet Malibu registered to Greg Wry was found parked in an open clear cut area on an unserviced roadway approximately 1 kilometer from the Y intersection, where the roadway was not plowed.

Greg Wry, a 30 year old man from Woodstock has been missing since February 21, 2010. He is 5'8" and weighs 140 pounds. He has brown hair worn brush-cut style, green eyes and has scruffy facial hair. He often wears a ball cap and was last seen wearing a jacket with leather sleeves and brown cloth patches, jeans and sneakers.

If you have any information which could assist us in locating Greg Wry contact the Woodstock Police Force at 506-325-4601 or the District 7 RCMP at 325-3000.

It appears from the Facebook page the family has been trying. They have had several good news reports and they just held a vigil the other day to gain more awareness. I think most families just don't know what to do. Then there comes grief and everyone takes it so differently. Some are doing everything to just hold the pieces together and being in front of reporters is intimidating. If they are new to Facebook, they can feel that is causing some awareness. And, if you aren't use to the media, having one or two interviews can seem intimidating and overwhelming. Someone has to take the lead. In this case it appears his brother is coming forward as a point person. They mention a dad, but I don't recall much mention about the mother.

I think also, at the same time he went missing, the Moncton missing stories were evolving. I wonder if news agencies have to run selectively, especially when more than one are hitting the news. In my family's case, our loved one was missing the same time little Victoria was missing. At some point, they just stop running stories, one reporter told me that it is hard to keep running stories because people don't like to be reminded of sad things.

The public doesn't see is the breakdowns from searching weeks on end without but maybe an hour a day sleep. The letters to the food shelters, the homeless shelters, the mental hospitals, the clinics, the posting on the missing sites, registering with the proper authorities, maintaining web sites, MySpace, Facebooks and Tweets, making YouTube videos, posting posters and after it rains posting some more. The vigils and the fundraising.Then comes the mental breakdowns, the job loss, and the feeling of isolation. Are we talking to the police too much? Too little? Being asked too many of the same questions. Or none at all. It would be helpful to run a post that could act as suggestions to those in the unfortunate position of having to learn, from those of us who have had to learn.

I do believe he deserves just as much attention as any other case. I hope they find something positive, soon.

Last night on the Global news a report indicated, the RCMP are conducting a ground search of the area Mr. Wry's car was found. Mr. Wry's brother-in-law was on the scene and indicated that things may not have a good ending in the search for Gregory. A pair of shoes were found in the woods in the area that Mr. Wry's car was found. The police indicated that there is no way of knowing if these are Mr. Wry's footwear or maybe even not connected. They were continuing their search in that area.

It was never elaborated on later if the sneakers they found were Gregory's. That was the last report I heard on Gregory. Hopefully they will find Gregory, but he has been gone for quite some time now.

Lanesend, thank you for posting that. And if they were checking out that area, I guess they would have found something. I wonder if they are still doing searches of the area that they found the sneakers.

Lanesend, there was just a news statement related to Gregory. It was noted that the search for Gregory is discontinued, but it was noted that the file is open on Gregory. After reading the link and the statement related to the conditions in the search area and all the area they have covered, I can understand why they are not continuing the search. And this is a long period of time since he went missing and no sight of him. I believe the searchers have done their utmost to help find Gregory. I send my thoughts to the family and hope they do eventually find Gregory.

« Last Edit: April 01, 2010, 03:24:15 PM by capeheart »

Logged

LanesEnd

Yes, I agree the searchers deserve much credit for everything they have done so far & under extremely difficult circumstances. Hopefully, there will be some news for the family soon. I understand his father is not well & Gregory lost his mother last year. A sister has been mentioned from time to time as well as a cousin and brother-in-law. While things don't appear to look good at this point, I suppose there is still hope for a happy ending. We had all but given up hope on the recent missing person case & she has been reunited with her family so maybe that will happen here, too.

amIam

Lanesend, I took the liberty of pasting the latest news story regarding Greg Wry. I hope you don't mind. Thanks for the link!

No more searches for missing Woodstock manPublished Thursday April 1st, 2010 A2By HEATHER MCLAUGHLINmclaughlin.heather@dailygleaner.comStumble Upondel.icio.usDiggFacebookPrintEmailSpeak UpA $2,000 reward from Crime Stoppers has been posted for anyone with information that leads to finding Greg Wry.

Wry of Woodstock disappeared the night of Feb. 21 after he checked into the Howard Johnson Hotel on Prospect Street in Fredericton.

Wry's car was found in a woodlot area about 32 kilometres east of Woodstock off Allandale Road at Pokiok. It was found in a clear-cut where timber was being harvested.

On March 19, a member of the Carleton Ground Search and Rescue team and an RCMP dog handler found footwear near the Shogomoc River.

It hasn't been conclusively identified as Wry's, although it's a similar size.

Woodstock police Chief Dana Collicott said several hundred metres were searched around the location of the car, where the footwear was found and around the family's camp in the Kilmarnock area.

Further searches are being halted unless there are new leads to pursue.

Some 1,440 hectares, or 3,560 acres, were searched using the RCMP helicopter.

The Carleton Ground Search and Rescue team had assistance from search and rescue groups from Tobique, York, Sunbury and River Valley.

"Members of the Carleton Ground Search and Rescue, District 7 RCMP and Woodstock Police Force

have reviewed the areas that have been searched and have made the decision to suspend any further searches pending new information," Collicott said.

The search has been complicated by weather conditions, he said.

"A fairly significant snowfall occurred during that time period, making detection of clues very difficult.

"The unseasonably warm temperatures at the time of the search made the operations more difficult and dangerous. The rough terrain coupled with melting snow created a treacherous combination," he said Wednesday.

The chief said police are continuing to investigate and anyone with information is asked to contact District 7 RCMP at 325-3000 or Woodstock Police Force at 325-4601 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.